by K A Doore
He pushed the curtains back and was surprised to find that the sun had already set. He cracked open the window and took a breath of the night air. It almost tasted sweet compared with his room. Maybe it was a little stuffy in there.
He didn’t think too much about who was here to see him. Barag stopped by sometimes to pick up his work and drop off more. Barag had been more than understanding these last few weeks. Amastan wasn’t ready to see Tamella or Thana or the city just yet. He needed more time.
But it wasn’t Barag waiting for him at the top of the staircase. Kaseem leaned on his cane, wearing the same green tagel and wrap Amastan had last seen him in. The sight was so jarring that Amastan stopped in his doorway. But Kaseem didn’t disappear or leave; he waited patiently, his watery gaze fixed on Amastan.
Slowly, Amastan stepped out of the doorway and into the upper living area, stopping a few feet shy of the old man. “Why are you here, sa?” he asked in a low whisper, even though they were alone.
“You proved yourself more than capable over the course of the past few weeks,” said Kaseem. “Despite your inexperience, you successfully completed a contract and found justice for your cousins. You impressed the drum chiefs, who are themselves very difficult to impress. I’m aware that they didn’t expect you to actually achieve the task they set you. Yet, you did.”
Amastan passed a hand in front of his eyes, disbelieving. “I don’t know what you mean. It was a mess.”
“Perhaps,” said Kaseem with the smallest of shrugs. “There are always things that we could’ve done differently. But what matters is your success. I’m confident that you have the skills, patience, and knowledge to perform admirably. Which is why I have chosen you for the first legal contract in over twelve years.” He held up a finger. “Technically, the other contracts were legal as well, given that the order was sealed by a drum chief, but we’ll just go from here.”
Amastan reached out a hand to steady himself against something, but found nothing. Kaseem was watching him with the slightest of smiles, waiting for acceptance, appreciation, something. Clearly, this was an honor. Clearly, Amastan should be grateful.
Instead, he was numb.
A contract. After everything, was that to be his reward? More death?
But as his initial reaction subsided, Amastan realized that he felt differently about contracts. They were necessary, and if not him, then who? Dihya and Azulay had been ready to break the law to help Tamella kill Yufit. Tamella herself had shown a dangerous lack of judgment multiple times, and not only in the past.
The family was here to protect Ghadid, against outsiders and against itself. Amastan was a part of that and he could choose either to fade away or step up. Yufit had wanted him to step up. Yufit believed he could keep the family perfectly balanced on the thinnest of lines.
Amastan still didn’t like to kill, but Tamella had been right about that: an assassin who enjoyed killing shouldn’t be an assassin.
Amastan would be the perfect assassin. He met Kaseem’s eyes.
“I’ll do it.”
Acknowledgments
Many of us hold the romanticized notion that writing a novel is a solitary affair, that a book grows solely from a singular human dreaming up words before the rest of the world stirs. But step back and you’ll see all the people around that human, supporting them and believing in them and actively working with them to not only create those words, but to give them form and transport them all the way to here, to now, to you.
Thank you to the whole Tor team and your unrelenting enthusiasm and professionalism. Thank you, especially, to my editor, Diana M. Pho, who first asked: What about Amastan’s story?
Thank you to my agent, Kurestin Armada, who maintained calm and clarity when I couldn’t and also explained exactly why Amastan deserves a happy ending. I’m so sorry.
Thank you to my beta readers—Eldridge Wisely, Anya Vostinar, and Sarah Doore—who helped me beat a draft into a manuscript in an exceptionally short amount of time.
Thank you to my parents, Barbara and Daniel, who kept the bookshelves stocked with Anne McCaffrey, Edgar Allan Poe, and K. A. Applegate when I was the most impressionable, and who, decades later, held a sleeping newborn so my hands were free to type.
Thank you to Grandma McDaniel and Grandmum Paterson, who always wanted to know what I was working on and never once laughed when it was unicorns and dolphins.
Thank you to my daughter, who entered this world only a few weeks before this book, who occasionally slept long enough for me to complete it, and who reminds me of what’s most important in life: giggles, snuggles, and unrepentant exuberance.
But most of all—thank you to my wife, Sarah, who has been with me through this story and many others, who read every draft, who listens to me prattle on about plot and character and story arcs, who understands that there are highs, yes, but there are lows, and people are confusing, complex confluences of events, and who always believed I’d get here, even when I couldn’t.
Additional Praise for The Perfect Assassin
“The Perfect Assassin is a thrilling, fantastical mystery that had me racing through the pages. With a mix of heart and adventure, and set in a wonderfully inventive new world, K. A. Doore’s debut shines.”
—S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass
“The Perfect Assassin is one of those rare books that manage to be both thrilling and tender. It’s full of rooftop fights, frightening magic, and nonstop excitement and mystery, while at the same time it’s a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be a monster and the power of love and forgiveness. I absolutely loved it from start to finish!”
—Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of the Queens of Renthia series
“K. A. Doore has crafted a thrilling and poignant tale on the costs of loyalty. In the city of Ghadid, ideas of justice and family battle and braid themselves around each other in action-packed fashion. Part murder mystery, part family saga, part coming-of-age chronicle. The Perfect Assassin intrigues and excites in equal measure.”
—Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made of Night
“In a high-flung desert city, a reluctant assassin’s choices threaten his family’s way of life, those he loves, and, worst of all, the spirits of the dead. Amastan Basbowen’s options are all dangerous, but he must move forward. The ensuring intrigue forms the core of a highly exciting adventure.”
—Fran Wilde, Hugo and Nebula Awards–nominated, Andre Norton Award–winning author of Updraft
“Set in a world of believable richness, The Perfect Assassin combines a suspenseful plot with a memorable cast of characters, and an assassin protagonist who is compelled to make hard choices.”
—Ilana C. Myer, author of Last Song Before Night and Fire Dance
“A bold, original adventure set in a world of enthralling beauty. The Perfect Assassin shimmers with mystery and romance, and with characters whose courage and charisma brighten every page.”
—Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of The Bloodprint
“Fascinating world-building with all the mystery and appeal of The Thousand and One Nights.”
—Duncan M. Hamilton, author of the Wolf of the North series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K. A. DOORE got a degree in Classics, and then bounced around doing a variety of things, including fixing bicycles, keeping chickens, weightlifting, photographing saguaros, and went on long, dry hikes in the desert. She now lives in Michigan with her wife and daughter, two cats, and no ghost—yet. The Chronicles of Ghadid is her trilogy debut. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
Tom Doherty Associates ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
Contents
>
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Additional Praise for The Perfect Assassin
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE PERFECT ASSASSIN
Copyright © 2019 by K. A. Doore
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Larry Rostant
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-9855-0 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-0-7653-9856-7 (ebook)
eISBN 9780765398567
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: March 2019